Communication system

• US 9,762,294 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Saitou, Takashi, Takaoka, Akira, Ito, Koji, Ito, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Skibinski, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/431,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20150263792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307 91, 307 101, 307 11, 307 17, 307 3, 307 4, 375257, 375258, 320104, 320103, 320108, 320109, 320137, 333 12, 340 1232, 340 1323, 323305, 701 1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/46 Electric supply lines or communication lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

The communication system includes a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device. The first communication device outputs a high frequency alternating current power, and a power receiving circuit of the second communication device receives the high frequency alternating current power via a second antenna. A power line is connected between the second antenna and the power receiving circuit. A first power line has a first semicircle portion and a second power line has a second semicircle portion. The first and second semicircle portions are combined together to provide a loop-shaped antenna. The third communication device receives the high frequency alternating current power output from the loop-shaped antenna. At least two of the first, second, or third communication devices transmit or receive communication signals using respective antennas. The first and second power lines are twisted with each other at a portion other than the loop-shaped antenna.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first communication device including a first antenna, the first antenna outputting a high frequency alternating current power;

a second communication device including a second antenna and a power receiving circuit, the power receiving circuit receiving, via the second antenna, the high frequency alternating current power output from the first antenna;

a power line connected between the second antenna and the power receiving circuit, wherein the power line includes a first power line, which is positioned between a predetermined portion of the power line and the second antenna, and a second power line, which is positioned between the predetermined portion of the power line and the power receiving circuit, the first power line includes at least one first semicircle portion having a semicircle shape and the second power line includes at least one second semicircle portion having a semicircle shape, the at least one first semicircle portion and the at least one second semicircle portion being combined together to provide at least one loop-shaped antenna; and

a third communication device including a third antenna, the third communication device receiving, via the third antenna, the high frequency alternating current power output from the at least one loop-shaped antenna, wherein

at least two of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device transmit or receive communication signals via corresponding antennas, and

the first power line and the second power line are twisted with each other to configure a twisted line pair at a portion other than the at least one loop-shaped antenna in the power line.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

a frequency of the high frequency alternating current power is set equal to a resonance frequency of the communication system.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

an amount of the high frequency alternating current power that is transferred from the at least one loop-shaped antenna to the third antenna is defined according to a distance between the at least one loop-shaped antenna and the third antenna and a dimension of the at least one loop-shaped antenna.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein

the third antenna is a coil-shaped antenna.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein

a radius of the at least one loop-shaped antenna is equal to or longer than a half of a radius of the third antenna and equal to or shorter than one and a half of the radius of the third antenna.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein

the distance between the at least one loop-shaped antenna and the third antenna is equal to or shorter than twice of the radius of the third antenna.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising

a fourth communication device including a fourth antenna, wherein

the first power line includes at least two first semicircle portions and the second power line includes at least two second semicircle portions,

one of the at least two first semicircle portions is combined with a corresponding one of the at least two second semicircle portions to provide a first loop-shaped antenna,

another one of the at least two first semicircle portions is combined with corresponding another one of the at least two second semicircle portions to provide a second loop-shaped antenna,

the third communication device is positioned corresponding to the first loop-shaped antenna and the fourth communication device is positioned corresponding to the second loop-shaped antenna, and

the fourth antenna receives, via the fourth antenna, the high frequency alternating current power output from the second loop-shaped antenna.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein

the third communication device further includes a power storage circuit that stores an electric power based on the high frequency alternating current power received via the third antenna.

9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein

the third communication device further includes:

a power transfer circuit transferring, based on the electric power stored in the power storage circuit, a high frequency alternating current power to the first loop-shaped antenna via the third antenna; and

a disconnection detection circuit detecting a disconnection of the power line between the first loop-shaped antenna and the second antenna, wherein,

when the disconnection detection circuit detects the disconnection of the power line between the first loop-shaped antenna and the second antenna, the disconnection detection circuit controls the power transfer circuit to output the high frequency alternating current power to the first loop-shaped antenna via the third antenna, and

the fourth communication device receives the high frequency alternating current power from the second loop-shaped antenna, the high frequency alternating current power is output from the power transfer circuit of the third communication device to the first loop-shaped antenna and is transferred to the second loop-shaped antenna via the power line.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the first antenna or the second antenna is a coil-shaped antenna.